A Year of Change

After having her MRI reviewed, it turned out that Lori had a massive tear in her left rotator cuff. Apparently there was a bone spur that had been slowly cutting through her tendon every time she moved her arm. On Monday, as luck would have it, it finally gave way and tore all the way through. So, thanks to the great team of Dr. Millet and Dr. Millet himself, they made room for Lori and took her back at 5pm last night. An hour later she was all done and in recovery. We sure are lucky as if she was just a patient off the street, the next opening with Dr. Millet is in April of next year. He arranged for an extra OR (operating room) and then Dr. Millet went back and forth between two surgeries, in separate OR’s at the same time to fix Lori. He prefers to get this type of injury fixed when it’s in the acute (early) stage as it can get worse the longer you put it off. He even closed (did her stitches) himself which is pretty much unheard of as most all surgeons have PA’s (physician assistants) or Fellows, (guest doctors in training) who assist, close up after the surgery. So she’s all fixed up and in good spirits. They did give her a nerve block so her whole arm, hand, fingers and all, were totally limp with no feeling after surgery. She did stay the night so they could keep an eye on her. Here’s a picture below for fun although she doesn’t like the way she looked after surgery, surprise surprise. Not sure what she expected herself to look like!

This morning she has PT (physical therapy) first thing at 7:30. They get right after it with the rehab. Then she wants to go to work for a bit as she says she has lots to do and Dr. C. only has today and tomorrow left before he’s off to Australia for 2 weeks. She also says we’re going to the Christmas party on Friday night. I learned a long time ago not to argue with or doubt her when she has her mind set on something. Basically the key to a happy marriage is to pick your battles and whether or not we go to her company Christmas party is not one I care enough about to contest. If she’s tired or hurting, we’ll just come home.

Both boys are essentially done with school even though they go through noon tomorrow. Tests wrapped up yesterday and they’re looking forward to their break. Jag’s birthday is Saturday and I was planning on going to the football game on Sunday but will have to see how the misses is doing. Time to run as I need to check Lori out at 7 am and take her down to PT, then drive home, get the boys and take them to school. It’s been snowing for a good 24 hours too! Glad she’s all fixed up! Thank God for watching over her and on top of everything, her headache is gone! Woo hoo.

Today at 8am Lori has another MRI this time looking at her rotator cuff. After trying everything, she had the shoulder doc look at her last night before leaving work and they think she has a massive tear in her shoulder. We’ll know more this morning. If so, she’ll probably have surgery this afternoon or tomorrow at the latest. In a way, it’ll be a good thing if that is it as then we’ll know what it is. We’ll keep you posted.

On top of all this, I am slammed. Lori also had a confrontational meeting with her doc’s wife yesterday who sticks her nose in business she has no business in sticking her nose in. Follow that? In the end, Lori ended up with what she wanted for her team and all is good. Sometimes when people go through rough patches and then make up the relationship is even better. That’s what we’re hoping for here.

Today is basically Jag’s last day of finals and the same with Ty. Ty has a test at 7:45 and that’s it for him. Jag has been studying a bunch and we pretty much have been leaving him alone. That’s it, time to run as we have to complete a science experiment where we put coffee stains on 3 shirts and then wash them in three different detergents to see which is best. Lucky for us we get to do that this morning too! And oh yea, it’s snowing hard! Gotta go, GB.

Yesterday about 3 hours after Lori arrived at work, all of a sudden a debilitating pain shot down her left arm and was also in her chest. Now this was no ordinary pain, this was big time pain. Dr. C was so concerned that he sent her right over to Dr. Greenberg, our top cardiologist to make sure she wasn’t having a heart attack! She called me and told me she was fine but I knew better, as she always says that, and headed right over. I made it there right when they called her back. After getting Dr. Greenberg from the hospital and doing a complete workup, we’re happy to report her heart is fine. In fact, it’s super strong and one of the best hearts he has ever seen! So, knowing this, it has to be a nerve shooting down from her neck. She made it home after going back to work, around 6pm. She was in such pain that there was nothing she or I could do for the pain. She took pain pills and managed to get a little sleep, as did I, before we both woke at 5 am.

This morning she has a meeting a 7 and I’ll need to drive her as she really only has one functioning arm. She’s doing better but still in pain. Good news is she says it’s nothing like last night. I think she might have somehow have a broken arm or collar bone and she’ll get an x-ray this morning. That’s the only thing all the doctors didn’t check. We don’t know what she did and it’s probably a nerve from her neck but we need to rule all else out. Wouldn’t that be funny, hmm. Thank God she works where she works as Dr. Greenberg didn’t even do any paperwork or charge us. He’s also my cardiologist.

Both boys did great on their tests yesterday and have more today. Time to run as I need to help Lori and shower myself as I have a dentist appointment at 8:30 after I drop the boys. Take care, GB. Oh and thankfully, no trip to New York!

Here comes the last week of school. Jag has finals all week while Ty has a test here and there but nothing like Jag in High School. Lori has a tough week of surgeries and I only need to get in about $1.4 Million dollars worth of orders. Not much else going on. Oh wait, Jag’s birthday is this coming Saturday. I think we’re also supposed to Christmas shop or something this time of year. Guess we’ll start that a week from today or so.

No new snow up here and it’s not that cold. I’ll know today if I have to go to New York on Wednesday. Hope not but it is what it is. We also need to deep clean around here as it’s awful dusty and dirty. Time to run as I need to try to get the kids up and moving, GB!

We have some snow, actually lots of snow. Should be great skiing. I think Ty is going up today but Jag, who skied all day yesterday, is going to study for finals.

So, let’s look at the day. Ty woke up at Max’s and then they all went to play basketball at the Vail Cascade (a resort). I finally picked him up around 2:30 to bring him home for a quick shower and change of clothes before he headed to the movies and then ended up at the Four Seasons playing in their game room. Jag meanwhile skied all day long until about 4 pm. Then he too decided to go to a different movie with 3 friends. He too ended up at the Four Seasons as Warner and Harmon’s parents were there again last night. They all leave today for the airport in Denver to fly back to Washington D.C. So both boys had fun with their friends for the last 3 days.

Lori went to the 8th Annual Ladies Christmas Tea at the Calvary Church, which is the one we sometimes go to and that also has the big Cowboy Christmas Eve celebration at a local ranch each year. There must have been 300 women there yesterday, actually 24 table of 12 ladies each, which is 288! She had fun even with a headache. Meanwhile I cleaned up a bit and did some things around the house.

I just found out I might have to go to dinner with Andrea and Veronica in New York next Wednesday about a new restaurant concept. Hopefully I’ll know by later today so I can plan. Hope everyone is well, GB

Hard to believe it’s December 10th. 2 weeks from today is Christmas Eve. We haven’t even thought about this much less done any shopping. Lori is hurting a bit today. We think the plane flights with all the bumps and turbulence irritated her neck. She has her CAT Scan on Monday.

Today Jag is going skiing and Ty snow boarding. Lori is going to a Christmas Tea with Sarah from work at the church down in Edwards. I’ll run kids around and make some ribs and sauerkraut. I’ll need to call my Mom to get a reminder on how to cook it. It’s nice outside but lots of fresh snow on the mountain. The Christmas Market is also going on again this weekend up here in Minturn.

Last night we went to the Four Seasons bar as our friends who moved to Washington D.C. came for a long weekend. Warner who is Ty’s friend and a couple other boys all ran around playing and then they all stayed at Max’s house. Jagger and Harmon and two buddy’s hung out and will ski today. Bret and Rebecca, the parents, and about 3 or 4 other couples, and us, all visited for a while. At one point the girls all walked up the street to a store that was having a huge sale which is out of character for Vail. Every lady came back with a bag in tow including Lori who found a nice sweater at 70% off. She was having buyers remorse when we got home but I told her how nice it was and to enjoy it. She never asks for anything.

Guess I’ll run as today we’re celebrating Mojo’s birthday which was 3 days ago. He has a big new bone and will get a long walk today. Time to run so I can get to the gym and then get the boys to the mountain, GB

Today is my dads birthday. Simply put, he was one of the greatest guys anyone could ever know. I won’t go into all his great qualities but let’s just say, I haven’t run into anyone like him in a long time. Hopefully I can pass on some of the things I learned from him to our boys. Not sure how old he’d be, my Mom would know.

I picked up Lori at the airport yesterday and we had to rush up the hill to pick up the boys. It was coming down pretty good and this morning we have probably about a foot of new snow. We need to get moving as we slept in.

Better get moving as we need to leave in an hour and I haven’t even warmed up the car. GB

Today Lori comes home. I think she’ll need some rest as she was pretty tired when we talked yesterday. I thought she’d be getting some rest hanging by the pool in California with her margarita! (there is no pool)

I’m off to Denver once I drop the boys and then have a meeting before I pick up some wine and return the rental car. Once I get our car back, then I have one or two more errands and I’ll stop at my Moms before picking Lori up around 2 in the afternoon. We then need to get up the hill before too much snow closes the pass. It’s cold but not that cold. For people in Denver, with the temps at zero, it’s cold. I think it’s supposed to warm up the next few days. It’ll have to up here or it won’t snow. It can be too cold to snow if you didn’t know that!

It’s 6 am and time to run as I need to get the boys out the door by 7:20. First up though I need to vacuum and make the bed. Mojo also wants breakfast and needs a walk as he’ll be in the house all day. I’d take him with me but just don’t have the room. Hope everyone is well, GB.

Yup, we have snow, a good 6 inches on top of the 5 or 6 from yesterday. We’re thrilled as that’s great for skiing. Now come the cold temperatures, somewhere around 20 below tonight, so they say.

Yesterday I picked Ty up around 3:30 as he had a make up test. We then headed to Wally World (Walmart) for some supplies for his science project. After finishing up some homework, like “Religion in Syria and the Geopolitical implications of current events and how they affect Russia, surrounding countries and those in the West” for Ty’s history, we settled in until I had to go get Jag at 7 pm. We hung out until about 9:15 or 9:30 before heading to bed.

It’s so cold outside my truck won’t start using the auto start on my key. I need to get out there and start both cars to warm them up.

Lori is doing ok, so we think. We all can’t wait for her to come home tomorrow as it’s just not the same with her gone. I’m in Denver most of tomorrow and should get back up here with her by 5 or so. The boys have a basketball clinic with Christian Laettner who is a former great college and pro basketball player. It goes from 3 until 5pm.

Today is the anniversary of Pearl Harbor. It was 75 years ago today. Obama is bringing the Japanese Prime Minister there which is the first time since the attack that any leader from Japan has gone there. Many veterans are understandably upset. Yesterday the administration told them they need to get over it, what? It’d be one thing if Japan would apologize but unbeknownst to most, they never have. Not my place to complain as I wasn’t there but the shameless disregard for our vets by this Pres is unbelievable. You could have put it a different way instead of telling them, and I use their words, “to get over it”. Wow, be glad when he’s gone.

I need to take a break and warm up the cars and shovel some snow……… there, I’m back, the snow sure is heavy, good for the mountain. I think we’re done with snow for a bit, just cold now.

Guess I’ll run, stay warm if you’re in Colorado or wherever you are. If you’re cold, go shovel some snow or exercise, that’ll warm ya up! 10 days until Jagger’s birthday and 18 until Christmas! GB.

Yesterday we drove down to the airport to get Lori to her flight through blowing snow. Turns out her flight was then delayed a good hour. I skipped my meeting in Park Meadows and moved it until Thursday when I pick Lori up just in case the snow kept blowing in the mountains.  I made it home fine but by late in the afternoon, the snow began to fall. Around 7 pm when I had to pick up Jag from basketball, we had 5 inches or so and it was coming down fast. Not much more snow this morning, maybe another inch or two. I guess we’re supposed to just have colder temperatures over the next few days.

Today I’m putting a roast in the crock pot. Lori’s not big on roast but the boys like it. I did swap my rental car yesterday from a small Chevy to a Ford Expedition. Lucky I did with the weather. We of course miss the misses and wish she was home. Hope she’s doing well in California. The boys are still hoping maybe Grandma Dixie can come back for Christmas but I don’t think that’s very likely. Not sure what we’re doing, probably going to California.

Here’s a picture of Mojo from when we walked up the mountain before the snow along with some carolers from the Winter Market last weekend. Guess I’ll run so I can get the boys up, fed and moving and I also need to clean off the car. Have a good day. GB